I've been by the seaside on the Moray coast, and found lots of seaside plants for @wildflowerhour.bsky.social Sand Sedge in dunes, Grass-leaved Orache in the transition between dunes and salt marsh, and Intermediate Polypody on rocks near the sea. @bsbiscotland.bsky.social Back inland for me now

I don't get to the coast often, so lots of things I find are new to me. Here on salt marsh in the estuary at Findhorn. Salt-marsh Rush in it's namesake place, Seaside Centaury and Seaside Arrow grass also new to me. I've had to check even common things, as there is often a seaside equivalent.

My botanical finds on the Moray coast continue. Many things I know already, and a few things new to me. Investigating new places, and habitats you don't usually go to can be quite rewarding. Doesn't everyone plan their holiday to include plants? @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

I always seem to spend hours when I find a dune/salt marsh (as none in South Yorkshire!). These dunes along from Lossiemouth were interesting. Here Sea-rocket, Sea-aster, and the not so welcome Japanese Rose. I was forced to stop botanising and play cricket on the sand 🤪 @bsbiscotland.bsky.social

It must be the summer holidays, as I got my lads to collect some bilberries for a pie. Sadly they lost interest (I picked most of them) I spent many a summer day as a child on the moors collecting bilberries. So it seems only right to pass of the tradition to my children @yorkswildlife.bsky.social

A few finds from the @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social meeting to Conisborough Viaduct Tip yesterday The best find was a new location for Tufted Loosestrife (it doesn't look like wild ones, so may originally be from garden plants), 6-belted Clearwing, Wild Basil and loads of Pyramidal Orchids

I had a great visit to Oxford today (if long with the driving). David from @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social was showing us some great fens: excellent inspiration for some Yorkshire fens! And @judywebb.bsky.social showing us how to look for soldierflies. Sometimes I have to remember I'm a lucky boy

I don't know what drew me this little bit of water on Thorne moor today, but closer inspection showed Bladderwort flowers poking up above the water. Below are the 'bladders' that trap small prey to consume.

I walked straight past this, even though I knew where it was. So had to double back and check. It's Marsh Pea, a rare species in Yorkshire (and scarce in the UK), and was reintroduced after a gap of a couple of hundred of years to Potteric Carr near Doncaster. A happy plant scrambling up a reed.

I led a @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social meeting to @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Potteric Carr yesterday. Primarily looking for invertebrates, but it was a bit windy, so not ideal. Still found a few things like this 6-belted Clearwing moth. And a few plants like this Fen Pondweed and Yellow Loosestrife.

Although I sometimes say I don't like people (more properly I don't really like loud busy places), I was being sociable and teaching some @yorkswildlife.bsky.social volunteers to identify plants using a key today at Potteric Carr. I forgot to take many pics! So here's a Field Forget-me-not we found

I visited a new site today, above the Went, in Wakefield district. Lots of interesting plants, butterflies and birds. But lacking enough management to keep the rare plants in the long term. Also near one of the nature reserves I manage I just need to work out the best way to help the landowner now

I've seen a few Alliums on the TV coverage of RHS Chelsea flower show, and I do love a garden. But nothing beats being in a local woodland that are full of our native Allium ursinum (Wild Garlic) at the moment. @yorkswildlife.bsky.social @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social

I was searching for Scarce Vapourer moth larvae at @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Potteric earlier in the week. I took this sawfly home to identify. It has lovely furry antennae. The iRecord app said Arge ustulata, but I checked with a book and microscope, as the app is not always right.

Yesterday I was out looking for Scarce Vapourer moth larvae, visual searching and beating vegetation (to try and dislodge larvae onto the tray). No luck. But I did find a few other things; a sawfly (Strongylogaster multifasciata?), Forked-jaw Nomad bee, and 14-spot Ladybird. Crowle moor, Lincs

The silvery hairs on the leaves of this White Willow catch the light at times, presumably giving it it's name. Same leaves in both photos, but one pic is catching the light just right. In the floodplain by the river Went at Brockadale nature reserve @yorkswildlife.bsky.social

This Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris, was shining brightly in the sunshine earlier in the week (no sun today) at @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Potteric Carr. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour #buttercups

The 2025 report is coming hot on the heels of the '24 report, and should be out in a couple of months. Join @ynuorg.bsky.social and you'll get this, and other annual reports (butterflies & moths, and birds) as well as The Naturalist journal. It's well worth it for any Yorkshire naturalists. 🙂

Yorkshire Naturalists' Union@ynuorg.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The YNU's latest publication, Yorkshire Plants 2024, is now available in the YNU shop. This new annual report from the YNU’s botany section compliments the joint @bcyorkshire.bsky.social annual Butterfly and Moth Report. You can purchase your copy for £5 here 👇 www.ynu.org.uk/join-the-ynu...

Not my usual haunt this weekend, Phoenix Fest was on (for The Phoenix comic that my children like) and so I was wandering around Oxford. A good weekend was had by all, and I even managed a bit of plant recording @bsbibotany.bsky.social It's nice to see a different patch (both urban and semi-natural)

My ex situation population of Scarce Vapourer moth (part of a conservation project) are becoming more active now, and as leaves are now burst open (their food). Although very small still (5-15mm) they may be visible. Let me know if you see any @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @yorkswildlife.bsky.social

At first look this area just looks like a reedbed. And getting into parts of it there is indeed dense reed. But other parts are patchy or completely open, while other dense bits have been roughed up by Highlands (that were moved off today). #fen #ecology #grazing

At the @ynuorg.bsky.social meeting yesterday, an eminent educator on the topic of invertebrates suggested we need to think differently about how we engage young people in entomology (at least at the start). Meet people where they are (not how we started being interested in insects), was his message

It was Invertebrate Day for me today (meeting of @ynuorg.bsky.social to talk about invertebrates) at Potteric Carr. The weather was typical spring, breezy on and off, sunny on and off. Saw this lovely fresh Green-veined White on a Cuckoo-flower. @bcyorkshire.bsky.social

I think we're about at peak bluebell in this part of South Yorkshire at the moment. A great time for a walk in the woods, perhaps @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Sprotbrough Flash or Hetchell Wood would be worth a visit this weekend

I've been running a Malaise trap as part of the Bioscan project for a couple of years. They take specimens (invertebrates) and do DNA based magic on them to work out what's in the samples. Unsurprisingly 74% of all individuals were flies (Diptera), but 12% of all individuals were one species!

A few patches of St George's Mushroom today. They were in fields that were arable until about 20 years ago, so it must be a reasonably good coloniser (as some grassland species are almost exclusively associated with very old grassland). @yorkswildlife.bsky.social

Another trip to Valmalenco over. Early spring turned out well, very warm for the time of year. More Spring Cinquefoil here that I've ever seen in Yorkshire. And despite looking at loads of patches of Spring Sedge no Rare Spring Sedge seen. Plenty more to find on future trips (to see family honest)

I know that things aren't the same abroad, but I can't help get a little excited when I see something that would be rare or unusual back home. Spring Cinquefoil is a sign of a really good grassland in Yorkshire. This was by a roundabout and car park in Valmalenco, Italy.

Easter isn't the best time for spring flowers (we came to visit family), but some early spring flowers around. Patches are still snow covered or ground frozen, other bits are warmer. Alpine Squill and Spring Crocus are common, other things like Oxlip are either less frequent or only just in flower

The 4 young Highland cattle that were on Seven Arches Carr have moved this morning to Loversall Pool, at Potteric Carr. They are investigating their surroundings, and eating the grassland around the edges, they'll get to the reedbed and fen when the tasty stuff is finished.